Arkin gets mixed review from Garrett

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Not surprisingly, a big part of Dallas’ offensive woes in their 3-0 win over Oakland centered on the center.

Filling in for the injured Phil Costa, David Arkin got beat for a sack and also committed a holding penalty.

The sack was a scary moment for Dallas. On an attempted screen pass in the first quarter, Raiders nose tackle Tommy Kelly blew past Arkin to drop Romo inside the 5-yard line for a 12-yard loss.

But rather than focus on the negative, Garrett praised Arkin for the flawless execution of his snaps after he struggled badly with the task at training camp.

“He seemed to be pretty steady from what I could tell,” Garrett said. “The big concern we had for him with him not playing center much in his life was taking care of the ball. The nightmare scenario is that we have four snaps on the ground and he snaps it over the quarterback’s head in the shotgun. None of that happened.”

But Garrett said the sack of Romo was clearly Arkin’s fault and that the club would continue to search the open market for a backup center. Still, Garrett liked Arkin’s tenacity, as did Romo.

“He’s done a good job this week,” Romo said of Arkin. “I just took snaps from him for the first time three days ago. He’s playing his butt off, so it’s a good sign.”